Falling Hard
by Raixser
Summary: When Tantalus rescue a young man and his baby girl, Baku agrees to let them stay on one condition – that Marcus takes full responsibility for them. YAOI Marcus X OC


Summary: When Tantalus rescue a young man and his baby girl, Baku agrees to let them stay on one condition – that Marcus takes full responsibility for them. YAOI

Pairings: Marcus/OC Blank/Ruby mentions of Zidane/Garnet and Steiner Beatrix

Warnings: Possibility of OOCness, original characters, Yaoi, swearing, violence and there could be lemons in later chapters

Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy or any of the characters unless I say other wise.

* * *

"Get them on the ship, you lazy bastards!!" Baku ordered. "Blank! Clear Zidane's room so that you can get those two checked on!"

"Boss!" several voices called out in acknowledgement as they started getting on with his orders: the Nero brothers carrying two figures, a boy with messy red hair and a bawling baby girl; Blank was setting up the space in Zidane's room – the guy never used it anymore anyway; and Marcus and Cinna were keeping away any monsters that tried to attack while all this was going on.

"You two hurry up and get back in here before I take off without ya!!"

* * *

Everyone gathered in the meeting room, Baku standing facing them. "What's the status on our two guests Blank?" he asked seriously.

"The little girl's fine: no signs of injuries or malnutrition. She's with Ruby right now – she's said she'll look after her until he wakes up. I'm afraid the other one's a bit of a problem though. The wounds on his torso are pretty deep and he seems to have been going without much food for at least two weeks so his energy's pretty drained." Blank sighed. "There's no way we can even think about dropping him off somewhere it's too risky to move him."

"But he _**will **_recover right, bro?" Marcus questioned the red-head who stood beside him, he didn't like the idea of going to all the effort of saving someone just to find that they would have died anyway. Blank nodded.

"Yeah, but it'll take a while." Baku frowned, if Blank had to take care of this strange boy then it could only cause complications. "Boss let them stay just until he recovers enough to look after himself and the girl."

"Alright, fine. I'll let them stay on the condition that after the boy wakes up they both become Marcus' responsibility."

"What??" the goblin-man exclaimed in surprise.

"That's my final decision! Plenty of you boys can fight but Blank is the only one with any talent at healing so I may need him out in the field! I can't have him sitting around in here babysitting when the rest of my boys are putting themselves at risk!" Baku snapped. Everyone knew what that tone meant... if anyone argued now it would mean Cinna would be cooking their meals for the next week. Nobody wanted that.

Marcus sighed defeatedly. "Yes, boss..."

"Good, now everybody get back to work!"

* * *

Two days later Marcus found himself all alone on board the Prima Vista. Everyone else was getting to take part in this big performance in Treno during which the Nero brothers would sneak away after their death scene so as to steal from Lady something-or-other he was in too much of a mood to remember her name just now. "Stuck here watching this guy while everyone else's out having fun..." he grumbled.

However in the half an hour or so since he'd been sitting here Marcus had taken the opportunity to look this guy over, just in case he should suddenly wake up and attack on instinct. He was about two or three inches taller than Marcus was and even though he clearly hadn't been eating right for a while he was well-built with firm muscles. Like Blank he had fiery red hair, except his was a few shades lighter and rather than being spiky it fell in a sort of messy mane that ended a couple of centimitres past his jaw (it was kind of in need of a wash though...). His skin was quite pale and Marcus could see part of a tribal tattoo that crept about an inch or two onto his upper left arm from the back -most likely the shoulderblades or something.

Marcus had to admit that the guy was pretty good-looking – the kind that got female attention wherever he went whether he wanted it or not. Maybe some attention from the gay men as well. Not that Marcus really cared, he was just noting all of this out of boredom.

And then he heard a groan from the bed in front of him. The guy's face scrunched slightly as he tried not to wake up. "Heh, you finally awake then?" his eyes opened and Marcus was taken aback from that grey-blue color that just seemed to be made of ice crystals. He hadn't known what he'd expected but he definitely wasn't prepared for those drowsy orbs to be so breath-taking. Wait a sec... _breath-taking_...? Quickly finding his voice again Marcus continued. "You've been out for two days, now.

"Where am I?" unlike his eyes, this voice was pretty much what Marcus had been expecting: slightly hoarse because his throat was dry from lack of use but it was deep and a little gravelly. The goblin-man found himself quite liking the sound of it.

"You're onboard the Prima Vista Theatre Ship. We found you about to get finished off by a hungry lizard man." he answered. "What's your name anyway, man?"

"Zan..." the other muttered, as he moved into a sitting position.

"I'm Marcus." Zan shited his torso slightly in discomfort, the wounds were nearly healed but they were still enough to be a pain. However the shifting gave Marcus a view of the rest of that tattoo. As he'd suspected it trailed across the shoulderblades with a little bit in the middle which crept up to where his neck began. And the design of it was just too intricate and complex to describe.

Suddenly Zan's face looked paniced. His ice-like eyes wide and he forced himself up ignoring his still-injured torso. "Sanya?!" Marcus tried to push him back down onto his back only to find that those muscles definitely weren't just for show. Even in this physical state Zan needed very little effort to thwart his attempts. "Tell me where she is!!" Zan growled, grabbing Marcus by the shoulders and slamming him against the wall. "Where. Is. My. Daughter??" that face was now scowling angrily and gorgeous eyes took on an almost murderous glint as they glared at Marcus.

Marcus didn't really process the demand – too busy worrying for his personal safety if he didn't get out of Zan's grasp. It was only when one of those hands made for his throat that he responded. "She's safe!! Ruby's looking after her!" he exclaimed, hoping this would appease Zan and get him back into bed where Marcus had at least a chance of getting him to go back to sleep.

"_Where_?" Zan repeated with a hiss.

"Let me go and I'll take you to them!" Damn it, did Zan really need to have his face that close to Marcus'?! That breath was making his lips tingle. Slowly Zan's fingers stopped digging into Marcus' shoulders and let him free, taking a few steps back. "Okay, follow me."

Silently and cautiously Marcus led the way up the stairs and to the room where Ruby stayed. Keeping a wary eye on the man who had been perfectly ready to murder him seconds ago. Although he seemed pretty calm just now... Marcus knocked a couple of times on the door and called the barmaid's name.

"What in tarnation, Marcus? You're not supposed to be leaving that poor boy alone. Baku's orders." Ruby's voice rang out as they heard her head in their direction.

"I didn't leave him!" Marcus snorted back. "He woke up and demanded to see that little girl you've got in there with you."

When Ruby opened the door she indicated in the direction of a makeshift cot with a bundle of blankets in it. Already Zan was kneeling next to the cot, one hand shifting blankets slightly to get a look of the baby's tiny face. Then he looked up at the curvaceous woman. "Did... she get hurt at all?" he asked quietly, clearly talking about the run-in with the lizard man.

Ruby smiled and shook her head. "No, darlin', not a scratch on her." she replied walking over to kneel on the other side of the cot, stroking back some of the fair hair which was starting to grow on that tiny head.

And for the first time Marcus saw Zan smile.

Luckily he'd still been near the door at the time because otherwise one of them might have heard the breath catching in Marcus' throat. Icy eyes seemed to sparkle and Zan's face softened to such a degree that it became hard to believe it had looked so murderous just moments ago.

"Thank the Gods." the young man sighed in relief just as the baby gurgled and shifted around in her cot. Marcus approached the three of them as Zan lifted the little girl up into his arms. His hold on her expertly supporting her head with the crook of his elbow abd cradling her body with the rest of his strong forearm. Then, tenderly , he held a finger out in front of her which those tiny fingers curled around and she giggled. Marcus saw the other man's eyes sparkle even more. Almost as if he'd been afraid that the baby would hate him, not that such a thing was really possible – especially if this was how he treated her most of the time. After all babies had no concept of hate. "Sorry, Sanya." he mumbled. "I havent been able to look after you for a couple of days... but Daddy's back now and he's never putting you in danger like that ever again..."

Ruby was back on her feet as well and watching the scene before her. "Wait, you're that beautiful little girl's father?" Zan nodded slightly. Now that Marcus thought about it, Zan didn't quite look out of his teens yet... what was he doing being a father? "Just how old are you, darlin'?"

Zan lowered his head slightly, it was hard to tell whether he was looking at Sanya or the floor from that hair which now covered his features. "I'm nineteen... Sanya's nearly a year old..." he admitted quietly. So in reality he was about two years younger than Marcus as well. And the kid was barely legal when that little girl was born.

Ruby's face darkened a little. "And where's her mother?" Zan's whole body seemed to tense up. Marcus was not getting a good feeling from this. Everyone in Tantalus knew about Ruby's opinion on this subject and it looked like the kid had done something that went against her views. Which most likely meant a severe berating.

"It doesn't matter, anymore... Kaja can't look after her!" He was trying so hard to keep his voice calm but Marcus could hear the shaking that signified Zan was holding back tears at the very least.

"The girl needs her mother! I'm not saying you're a bad father but she needs more than just that."

Zan sighed and sank to sit on a medium-sized wooden box. "You think I don't know that? I knew that even before I rescued her..."

Marcus' eyes narrowed at that "What do ya mean 'rescued'?" immediately at hearing the goblin-man's voice Zan's head snapped up to glare at him.

"It's none of your business. _Either_of you." how he managed to make that sound threatening enough to send a little shiver up Marcus' spine but neutral enough not to scare the little girl Marcus just didn't know. Ruby just glared back at the nineteen year old boy, hands resting on her very feminine hips. She opened her mouth to argue further but was stopped by the sounds of voices and footsteps.

So before things could get any further Marcus spoke up again. "C'mon, Ruby. Leave it for now. The boss and bro'll want to know that Zan's finally awake."

"Fine, but I'm not finished with ya about this!" and with that Ruby swept out of the room – most likely to find Blank and welcome him back.

"C'mon, Zan. The sooner you meet the rest of the crew the sooner the two of ya can get some rest." Marcus told the teenager firmly. Grudgingly Zan got to his feet and headed out of the door, now using both arms to cradle Sanya instead of just the one. Marcus couldn't help but admire the devotion and dedication this boy was putting into being that little girl's father. He was young but still seemed comfortable with the role – no problems what-so-ever with the heavy responsibilties that came with it. _He sure is somethin'_ the goblin-man thought with a mental chuckle as he followed Zan to where the others were gathered.

"Finally awake then, boy?" Baku grunted. Zan gave a nod – clearly in no way intimidated by the large, portly man.

"Says his name's Zan, boss." Marcus said, clapping the younger male on the shoulder with a slight grin. "And the girl's called Sanya."

"Thanks... for helping me and my daughter."

"Eh, it was all Blank and Ruby so don't go thankin' me for anythin'." Baku snorted although everyone could hear the amused smile in their bosses voice. With a slight nod Zan turned to face the couple and said 'thanks' once again.

"Ah, don't mention it, man." Blank grinned. "But I think you should get back to bed and rest up – those injuries still need a bit more time before they heal properly." Zan opened his mouth, probably to try and protest, but he was cut off by Ruby.

"_You_ need your rest, darlin' otherwise you ain't gonna be much good to that little angel of yours. Don't you worry yourself about her! I'll make sure she gets fed and everything." she flashed him a warm smile as she made her way over to him, most likely with the intention to take Sanya back. Everyone knew how attached Ruby was getting to the baby girl and if her father wasn't alive and well, standing in their midst, would probably have claimed her to be her and Blank's first child.

"Can she... at least stay in the same room as me? I won't be able to sleep at all otherwise..." Marcus looked at Zan. Somehow the kid just seemed lost and confused and from the helpless tone in that voice he found himself believing that Zan would be too restless with worry other his daughter's well-being if he wasn't in the same room as her. So he took the initiative and spoke up before anyone else did.

"Me and Blank will move the cot. Go ahead we'll see you down there. Right, bro?" he gave Blank a look that left no room for protest and the two of them headed for Ruby's room.

"What's all that about, Marcus?" the red-head questioned as he lifted one end of the cot.

"You weren't with the kid when he woke up. Sure he was fine at first but when his mind caught up with what had happened he got scary. He started askin' about his daughter, right, and when I tried to get him to lie back down he shrugged me off easy – like Zidane if he thought a girl wasn't good-looking enough for him. And then, even in the state he's in he was able to grab me by the shoulders and slam me against the wall. I couldn't even break free." Marcus sighed and lifted his end so that they could start moving. "You should've seen his eyes then, bro. He was ready to murder me right then and there if I didn't take him to your girlfriend's room so he could see that the baby was alright."

"Wow, bro... that kid sounds pretty dangerous. Think we should tell the boss? I mean maybe we shouldn't have someone that dangerous on the ship with us... and the little girl probably won't be safe with just him around either..."

Marcus just shook his head. "If it happens again then yeah. But I don't think he's actually dangerous... just trying to be a decent dad." Blank frowned at this but didn't press his view.

"If you say so, bro." and with that they started maneuvering the cot downstairs and into Zidane's old room. However before Marcus knocked on the door he heard two voices talking which made him stop in his tracks and listen in.

"Wow, darlin' ... that's so sad..." That one was Ruby, no mistake.

"Just don't tell anyone ..." Zan's voice was quiet and sounded almost like he was pleading with her. "I told you because I wanted to thank you for looking after Sanya..." there was some more after that but Marcus couldn't quite hear it.

"Well don't worry, darlin'. I'll keep your secret."

Figuring that he wasn't going to hear what this secret was Marcus went ahead and knocked sharply. "We've got it, think ya can let us in?"

A few seconds later Ruby''s face smiled at them as she opened the door and stepped off to one side to let the two men inside. "Just put it over there against the wall." she said, smiling. They passed by Zan who was sitting on the bed – the little baby in his arms now sleeping and cradled against a firm chest only partially covered with bandages. It was an oddly peaceful sight with that look of contentment on the kid's face.

Did having a child really make a guy feel _that _good? Was it such a joy to hold your own offspring in your arms?

Marcus set down his end of the cot just after Blank had done so with his. Why was he getting so worked up over the kid, anyway? Not like it was any of his business what Zan did or felt. _Must just be boredom_ Marcus decided. Yes that was it – being forced to stay on the ship while everyone else was out had got him searching for some way to entertain himself so he started trying to figure out the injured kid.

"You come to me if you need anyone to watch the little angel. Alright, darlin'?" Ruby told Zan, still smiling as she left with Blank who had an arm slung over her shoulders while she had one snaked around his waist. Blank was a lucky guy to have her all to himself. Sure Marcus was usually able to find a good lay when he needed but it wasn't quite the same as the kind of relationship those two displayed.

"That Blank and Ruby... they're together right?" Marcus looked over at Zan who was looking at the doorway – wheere the couple had been standing just a moment ago – with an expression on his face that Marcus could only describe as envy. But what exactly did he envy? Blank for having Ruby? Or the actual relationship itself?

"Yeah, they are. Have been for a couple of years now."

"They're lucky." and with that the kid got to his feet and carefully made his way over towards the cot where he set down the sleeping Sanya and made sure she was properly tucked in.

"I'll be heading off now. Shower's just two doors to your left if ya wanna use it." When he saw Zan nod in response he took it as his cue to get out of there and get some sleep – he'd get a report from Blank tomorrow about how things went off-board. The events of this evening were starting to catch up with Marcus and he was getting extremely tired.

And then just when he'd reached the door Zan's voice broke the silence again. "Marcus." he turned to find the kid's icy eyes locked onto his face. "Earlier when I woke up, that's what you said your name was."

"Uh, yeah, that's right." the goblin-man nodded – honestly he was Zan remembered because it was pretty much straight after that the kid had thrown his fit. "Why?" What could he have to say to Marcus, now? When he hadn't said a word to him after being reunited with his daughter. Well not _just_ to him anyway.

"I just wanted to say sorry... I never really apologized for attacking you earlier..." _You didn't apologize __**at all**_ Marcus snorted mentally. But honestly he was kind of glad about this. At least he knew now that the kid didn't hate him for whatever reason. "Thing is last thing I remembered was that I needed to find somewhere to hide her ... then I would go back and fight that monster off as long as I could. Next thing I know I'm in a strange room with a guy I don't recognise and my wounds are bandaged up but I can't find my daughter... As soon as that clicked in my head instinct took over. I just needed to know that she was alright... that I hadn't let her or Kaja down."

Marcus looked at the kid. His voice had been fairly quiet and still very much hoarse as well. But at the same time it had been heartfelt. Zan had mentioned Kaja earlier in Ruby's quarters... Marcus supposed that she was the baby's mother. But he wouldn't ask about that right now considering he didn't really want to make enemies with someone who could so easily kill him even in this condition. The older male grinned and waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, don't worry 'bout it. Not like ya hurt me or nothin'." although he very easily could have... "Rest up and I'll see ya in the morning. And one more thing before I go..." he paused, at least saying this would put the kid's mind at ease if only for the rest of the night. "The kid's lucky to have ya as her dad."

He noticed Zan's eyes widen but at the same time a grateful smile found it's way to the kid's lips. Feeling slightly better with himself Marcus left and shut the door behind him and made for his own quarters. This really wasn't going to be easy... but hell Marcus liked a challenge. He'd look out for the kid.

* * *

That had all been six months ago now. It had only taken Zan a couple more days to heal – during which time it had been unanimously decided that both he and his daughter could stay with Tantalus for as long as they wanted.

During these last six months Marcus found himself slowly getting closer to the younger male and that they were allowing a bond of friendship to form between them. It was only natural, both men were in need of company and the fact that they were spending a fair amount of time together meant it just happened. Not that either of them minded too much. Marcus had missed having someone to hang out with since Blank started spending more time with Ruby. And Cinna... well he could just get annoying sometimes. And of course Zan only really had Marcus and Sanya. But his daughter wasn't capable of talking in anything other than gurgles and laughter. So she didn't really count as the sort of company that a young man needed from time to time. And so, as a result of circumstance, Zan and Marcus had been drawn together.

By now the kid knew a fair amount about Marcus – for example he had slightly odd tastes when it came to food and his jokes tended to suck. Really badly. In return Marcus had learned that before they'd found him Zan had been a Freelancer. Just wandering around and doing little jobs here and there to make a living. And he was one of those people who can't stand mornings but are unable to stop themselves from waking up early.

But no matter how close he got to the kid, or how much he knew, there was always one thing that kept bugging Marcus. Just what was that secret Zan had told Ruby but not shared with him?

* * *

A/N: Okay my first ever FFIX fic so don't be too harsh about it, it's also my first one with a yaoi pairing as the focus. I wanted to make a fic pairing Marcus with someone other than Blank, mostly because he's one of my favorite characters and there's not enough with him on this site. Be warned my updates are anything but regular but I'll try and update as often as I can.

All forms of review are welcome, hope you enjoyed reading it.

**Characters I own so far:** Zan, Sanya and Kaja


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